Angel of Mercy, Retail Division

All the travail over at Casa Peenee has had at least one upside, albeit one I'm feeling a little guilty about enjoying so selfishly: I've had the joy of being reminded of one of my earliest career goals.

Imagine the glamour of it! In the vignette above, it's the midst of the crazy Christmas rush at the Bon Ton Store. The elevator operator (was his name Mack? I bet it was.) clearly approves of Nurse Cherry's private moment with that dishy assistant buyer from China & Crystal (although neither of them realize that it was in fact the mature charms of Mack himself that bring said buyer onto the elevator so frequently).

When next the door slides open, our heroine will encounter a distraught senior saleslady. "Cherry! Thank God I've found you - we've got a matron down in Stately Stout; she's had a nasty turn!" "Quick,Phyllis," the plucky nurse replies, "Boil some water. She'll need tea and a hot compress, stat!"

Twenty minutes later she'll wander up to China to see if she can rekindle the moment - and encounter the surprise of her life when she sees what's up in the stockroom.

All in a day's work for Cherry Ames, Department Store Nurse.